Student Life
by MysticRedMoon
Summary: 19yrs old Rei Kon starts studying in Moscow where he meets some of his old friends; among others Kai Hiwatari, on whom Rei had a crush on since years. After a hot one-night stand, things get even more complicated for the confused men. Future "M"
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: All Beyblade characters by Aoki Takao. All likeness to the anime and manga © HUDSON SOFT/TAKARA/HASBRO, BEYBLADE PROJECT, TV TOKYO, Nelvana. The storyline is purely fan-made and does not refer to a specific person's life.

Read and enjoy!

Greets, Moony ;)

_Welcome back, everybody. After taking ages to pick up this story again I'm back; with partly rewritten chapters and some new ideas. Hope you'll like it._

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

**September**

The cab stopped some hundred meters away from a huge building, which was shielded by a massive wall. It was already dark outside, so I could just see its outlines in the dim light of some lanterns, but in spite of that the sight was impressing. The ivy-overgrown brick facade looked romantic and the towers suggested more the impression of a castle than of my future university.

Putting myself together, I finally opened the cab's door and got off, while the driver went to the trunk in order to pass me my luggage. "Thank you! How much is it?" I asked. "That makes 660 ruble, Sir." I passed the man 700 RUB, thanked him again and turned around to face the massive iron gates, which protected the property from unpleasant visitors. After the cab was gone I looked around helplessly, not knowing what to do next, when I surprisingly discovered an intercom on the left pillar. I stepped forward, pressed the call button and waited fidgety for a response. Some seconds later a deep and brisk woman's voice said, "Moscow Business School, how can I help you?" "Um, good evening. My name is Rei Kon. I'm a new student and… ", I started, but was instantly interrupted with an "Oh, yes, Mr. Kon. We awaited your arrival. I'll open the gate for you. Please, come in!"

Without any noise the gateway started to open, and I took a deep breath and did the first step into my new life.


	2. Chapter I

"**Surprise, surprise!"**

When I reached the entrance of the building, a small woman already waited there to welcome me. Shaking my hand firmly, she said, "My name is Anja Michailow. I'm the university's administrator. Let's go to my office and get the paperwork done." I was only able to respond with "nice to meet you" before she turned on her heels and started walking through the entrance hall in direction of the large stairway. I grabbed my stuff and followed her, having some difficulties to keep up with her speed. When we finally reached the wished room, I thankfully sat down on the offered chair. Now I felt the past hours in my bones. Especially the strenuous flight from China and the lack of sleep made it difficult for me not to fall asleep immediately. Mrs. Michailow noticed this, too. For the first time she smiled slightly. "We'll be done quickly," she said. "Here is your schedule. You'll be able to sign up for additional courses during the following week. This is your student ID. Take it with you all the time, please. It is very important, as you will have no entrance to the library or dormitory without it. Finally, here are the keys for your room. I'll escort you to the dorm. You just need to sign these forms and then we can leave." I glanced at the sheets of paper she handed me, barely realizing the content, and reached for the pen on the desk. "Done.", I mumbled sleepily, passing the forms back to her.

About ten minutes later I finally stood in front of my future domicile. The dorm was a very old building, too. It was located behind the main building, separated from the busy area of the university by a large park with lots of old, gnarly trees and mixed hedges. "Now insert your ID-card." I did like I was told to and put my card in the slot near the doorknob. Then I was handed a piece of paper with the explanation that it contained my password, which I shall enter now. Again, I followed the instruction, tipping the ten-figure code on the keyboard. [The security system of this old university is amazing], I thought. A green light lit up and a soft, humming sound was audible. I opened the door and stepped into the corridor, while Mrs. Michailow wished me a good night and left.

For the second time this evening I had this weird feeling that my stomach would turn around. Loneliness and fear tried to grip me, but I escaped by stepping forward into the barely lit house. I found a little map at the wall, which showed me that my room (which, according to the number on my key, was supposed to be room 497) was on the 4th floor left hand side. So I made my way to the elevator, waiting for it to arrive after I pushed the button, again wondering about the modern equipping of the dormitory. I was glad that I didn't need to drag my entire luggage to the top floor; that would have given me another involuntary workout. When I reached the wished part of the building, I got off the elevator and looked around to orientate myself. I turned left and walked down the corridor till its end, making out the sign "497" on the penultimate door on the right. I rummaged around for the key, which I had put into one of my pockets and, when I found it, unlocked the door to my room.

It was pretty dark inside. A small fire was burning in a fireplace right across the room and I could make out two doors left and one on the right side of the small living room. Suddenly, I saw a head popping from behind sofa by the fireside. My eyes widened when I recognized the familiar red mane and its owner, who stared back at me with an incredulous look.

"Tala?"

"Rei? REI! I can't believe it. What are you doing here?" he asked while jumping up and running in my direction. "Good to see you!"

"Thanks." I murmured whilst I was unable to hold back a broad smile because of the red-haired man's reaction. "I decided to study in Moscow. After learning so much Russian during the World Championships, I thought it would be a great opportunity to improve my language skills and get to know your culture…"

Tala grinned back and gave me a short hug and the typical three kisses on my cheeks. "That's great. So…YOU are my new roommate then?"

I nodded confirmatively and waiting for his reaction. In spite of Tala's not always easy to handle character we had become pretty good friends during the last tournament, but I had no idea how he would react to the fact that he would share a flat with me for the next months.

"That's so cool. I'm glad you are here."

[Puh…Thank god!] A soundless sigh escaped my mouth. Fortunately Tala was too busy to realize it. He eagerly continued to talk.

"Let's sit down and talk a bit. We haven't seen each other since…let me think, about three year!"

I nodded again, my thoughts straying. "Hm, I guess you are right. Unbelievable that it had been so long ago…"

[…indeed - a lot of time had passed since the last Championship and although it seemed to have been yesterday and my memories were as precise as ever, lots of changes had taken place in the past years. My old Beyblade team had split up. Max had moved to his mother in the USA, he is now becoming an arts teacher; Tyson and Daichi had decided to stay in Japan to continue their Beyblade training; Kenny had got a scholarship from the BBA and know studies IT-don't-know-what at Harvard University. I had returned to China and started a small Beyblade school. Well, and last but not least: Kai… He had said that he wanted to return to his home country Russia, but, as characteristic for him, we had never heard a word of our dual haired teammate again_._]

Breaking away from these thought and drawing a mental line under the whole 'thing', I firmly said, "But now I'm here." Taking a deep calming breath, I continued. "So, what are you studying here?"

"Sports management. I made an internship at the local BBA office and found the work so interesting that I decided to go this way. I'm now starting my third semester and I love the studies. How about you?"

"I enrolled for 'Language, Culture and Management studies'."

"Cool. It's your first semester, right? But why did you choose to come here?"

I confirmed his first question with a nod, but when I prepared to answer the second I felt a wave of fatigue flooding me. I tried to smother a yawn, but I couldn't fool the Russian.

"Jeez, you sure are tired," he stated, giving me no chance to deny the fact. "You should go to bed. Your travel must have been very strenuous. The door closer to the window leads to the free, I mean, to your room." He looked in the said direction.

I shoot a thankful glance at Tala and made my way through the room, wishing him a good night. I just managed to close the door behind me before I fell on my bed and drifted into a dreamless, deep sleep.

* * *

At the same time, Tala got himself a drink (vod…water, of course) and let himself fall back onto the soft sofa. He blankly stared at the glow of the last pieces of wood. While taking a sip of the clear fluid in his glass, he leaned back and murmured, "It's going to be a very interesting term. I'm dying to see _his_ reaction." A little devilish smirk rushed over his face and he took a second sip; then emptied the glass all at once. The clock was striking midnight.

* * *

So, that's it for now. Sorry for the long introductory part. How do you like it so far? Greets, Moony.


	3. Chapter II

"**Signseeing"**

A lonely bird was flying in the clear cerulean sky. It was a beautiful day, even though it was already icy outside and first hoarfrost covered the windows of the cars. It slowly melted in the comforting sunlight leaving little streams of water, which were running down the glass. In Moscow's south, a young man got woken up by the brightness.

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes, being dazzled by the light. After some seconds I adjusted to it and now had a good view at the hypnotizing sky. Suddenly feeling awake and active I got up, walked over to my window and looked at the city. The streets were busy at this early hour. Animated by the hustle and bustle I decided to discover the city on my own, since I had two days left until university would start.

I quickly went to the bathroom and tried to fix my knee long hair, what turned out to be a difficult task to undertake. In the end I surrendered, braiding it only to a loose plait. After brushing my teeth, I went back to change my cloth, which I had forgotten to take of the last night. I put on a dark jeans and shirt, and completed my outfit by adding an emerald green sweater. I was about to leave when I discovered a memo which was pinned on my room's door. It said: "Good morning, sleepyhead. ^^ I'm out with some friends. Breakfast is in the kitchen. Help yourself! I'll be back in the afternoon. Greets, Tala" Smiling, I turned around to look for the so called "kitchen", after a while identifying a small recess in the corridor as said one. I hadn't realized it last night, but could now see a small fridge, two cupboards and a kitchen sink. A water boiler and a toaster were standing on the worktop. I rummaged around a bit, looking for something eatable. Filling a bowl with my haul (cornflakes and milk) I made my plans for the day, deciding to pay a visit to Moscow's midtown. It was almost 10pm when I left the flat. Following the stairs I almost ran to the entrance, eager to get outside. When I reached the bottom of the stairs I flew around the next corner and…

BANG!

…ran into somebody, who yelled "HEY! Idiot! What do you have your eyes for?" Blushing, I shoot a glance at the one, but his face was covered by his jacket's dark hood. I quickly apologized and then exited the dormitory, leaving the unknown person behind me. I took a deep breath and started my sightseeing tour, without noticing the glare of a pair of crimson eyes.

* * *

I stared at the door, than followed the man with my eyes. [This similarity…Impossible! It can NOT be HIM!] I leaned against the wall and tried to bring my thoughts back into order, but always got stuck at the same point again… [Hell, stop daydreaming!] I turned around and left in direction of my room.

* * *

When I returned from my trip, Tala was already at home. I started my report about my fantastic experiences in town right away and he did me the favor and listened to it. When I finished he said "You are sometimes like a little child; so easy to impress." He smiled mildly. A little hurt by his words, I stared angrily at my feet, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and directly into his stunning ice blue eyes.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said, obviously guessing why I had been so quiet for a moment. "I wish I could get that excited about so small things."

[Did I really hear a slightly envious tone in the Russians voice?]

"It's a gift, Rei. Be proud of it." … "I'm glad that you had such a great day. Good night." And while speaking the last words, he gently took my head in his hands and gave me a soft kiss on my forehead.

"Night…"

Still stunned, I watched how he went to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. After sitting around for a while, I decided to go asleep, too. Lying in my bed, today in pajamas, my thoughts circled around Tala for a while, but then went back to the man this morning. [Who was he?] I had the weird feeling that his voice sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't assign it to a person... [Arrrrgh! I need to stop this or I'll never be able to sleep.] I closed my eyes and started to do some meditation exercises, banning all the unnecessary stuff out of my head.


	4. Chapter III

**Feelings, Motions and Confusion**

Sschschhhchhschhhh…"Mmmhh…" Relaxed, I stretched my limbs under the warm water.

"Rei, hurry up a bit or we are going to be late."

"Uhh!" Okay, I guess Tala was right. So I said good bye to the pleasurable thought of continuing to shower and turned off the water. I looked around for my towel, but realized that I left it on my bed. Angry about this mistake, I started thinking about a solution to the problem, when the door of the shower was opened and something fluffy was thrown at me. I caught it out of reflex and identified it as my towel. Then I looked up, just to see Tala standing right in front of me and inspecting my body with interested eyes.

"Ahh," I screamed angrily, hastily trying to cover up _that_ specific part of my body with the towel, and flushed madly. "TALA! What the hell do you think you are doing here?"

He smirked, letting another look muster me. "What's wrong Rei? You know that I have a boyfriend, so there is nothing to be afraid of. And you definitively do not need to be ashamed of your body. You are sexy."

Still as red as a tomato, I looked up. "Really?" [Arrrgh, what the heck did I just ask?] Now angry about myself, I barely noticed how he nodded to confirm his statement. I blushed even harder, if this was possible. Staring at him, I tried to hide my bewilderment by shouting "That doesn't give you permission to do THIS!"

Obviously very amused by my reaction, he responded completely relaxed "Oh, come on Rei-Rei. Just looking is no offence." And with a grin on his lips he turned around, telling me to "Get on with it!" before he left the bathroom. Still angry, I toweled myself, put my clothes on (black pants and a mathing, elegant Chinese three-quarter sleeve with embroideries in gold and red) and then took care of my hair, today tying it to a neat plait with a long, white ribbon. While braiding, my mood improved considerably because of the calming monotonous activity. When I was finally done I went to the living room, where Tala leaned against the sofa's backrest, holding my jacket in his arms.

"Let's go." he said, passing me firstly my jacket and secondly a sandwich for breakfast. "We are already late."

* * *

After the boring introductory event in the main building, which unfortunately lasted the whole morning, Tala (he had nothing to do, so he stayed with me although he already was in his second year) lead me to the canteen to get something to eat for lunch. On the way there he reattempted for the umpteenth time today to start a conversation with me.

"Are you going to be mad at me forever, Rei? You said scarcely anything in the past hours."

I focused on him. "Maybe…" [It demanded a great deal of self-control not to burst out in laughter, but Tala fortunately didn't realize that I was joking.]

"Are you kidding me? … You are, Rei, aren't you? …" He stopped to walk. "REI!"

"Hmpf." I took a glance over my shoulder, just to see Tala trying to catch up with me again, making a face like a child whose favorite toy has been taken away. When I saw that I wasn't able to hold back my amusement any longer and grinned broadly.

A second later, my life was in serious danger. Tala had caught a glimpse at my face and was therefore tackling me. Before I could say another word I was pushed down and both Tala and I were rolling on the green. His strong hands gripped my arms and pinned me down. He was half lying, half sitting on me and his lips formed an evil grin.

"So kitten, what are we going to do next?" he whispered in my right ear, sending shudders up and down my back. He, of course, noticed my reaction and his grin got even more evil. "Am I turning you on?"

I flushed and hotness spread in my whole body, but I at least managed to breathe "Just a little bit…" [HELP! Where is the instant ice?]

"Ah… I see. Let's see how you are going to deal with this, than…" the wolf said, bending down his head again; this time aiming to kiss me.

* * *

"Hn." The disapproving noise let Tala stop to death. "Tala. Bryan. Can't you two at least leave your fingers of each other in public?" I felt how I froze under the redhead, shocked by the sudden realization that flooded my mind. That voice was…

* * *

"Kai." - "Good to see you, too." Tala slowly stood up and turned around to look at me.

"Hn." "Don't you want to pick up your lover, wolfy?" I saw with amusement how he gritted his teeth and glared at me. I stepped forward to help Bryan, who was still lying on the ground, but stopped when I recognized the person to my feet. Before I could suppress it, a silent cough slipped out of my mouth. I saw how Tala shot a surprised look at me, but for his fortune he didn't say a word. Still in shock, I looked at the golden eyed man again. "Rei…" I almost whispered. When I said his name it was as if invisible chains had been removed from his body. He jumped up and stared at me with a deep red face. I saw how Tala focused on him now, waiting for a reaction.

"Kai", was the hesitant answer. He looked up and our eyes met and I was hypnotized by the liquid gold I looked at. A second later, we both started to talk – a desperate try to break the silence.

"It wasn't what it looked like…" "I didn't recognize you right away…" "Tala was just making fun…" "I didn't mean to insult you…"

We glanced at each other. Then Rei smiled shyly.

"Wow. I think we can do better, don't we, Kai?" He stretched out his hand. "It's good to meet you, old friend."

I sighed and then returned the relieving smile. I grabbed Rei's small hand and pulled him into a brief hug. When our bodies touched I had this unusual feeling in my stomach again. It felt good, even comfortable. When I released the Chinese after a second my view riveted on Tala.

"Wash that stupid grin out of your face, wolfy" I said, having back my normal, cool voice.

"Sorry dude, but that's impossible at the moment." And before I could respond, he said "Let's go and eat now. I'm starving. Join us if you like, Kai."

"Hn."

"Good idea, Tal. Please accompany us, Kai." Those unbelievable sweet eyes fixed me and I simply couldn't refuse the offer any more.

"Ok, I'll go to lunch with you." For this response I earned to looks: a happy one from Rei and an incredulous, weird one from the tall Russian. I didn't show any reaction to it, because I didn't want to start another argument with Tala. So I nodded in direction of the canteen and started to walk. The two followed me.

* * *

Oh my god, what a day! I can't believe that I met Kai, especially not the way how I met him. What an embarrassing situation… Lost in thought I nibbled on a piece of bread that I was holding in my hands. At the moment the two Russians were talking to each other -well, Tala was talking and Kai listening, so the conversation was more or minder lopsided- and I was glad that my feelings had some time to settle down. The war inside my body was slowly reaching a bearable point. I looked at the handsome, dual haired man opposite of me. He was the reason for my confusion. I haven't heard a word of my ex-team captain since almost three years; and for about the same amount of time is he stuck in my head. I thought of him way too much in the past. And now we are both here: living next door to each other, taking the same courses, seeing each other every day… I don't know how I am supposed to hold back my feelings for him, when I'm so close to him every day… Why does life need to be so complicated? Couldn't I just see a good friend in him?

* * *

I barely listened to Tala. My head kept working on another issue, by name Rei. This awkward situation from a short time ago kept stuck in my head. My feelings… On the one hand I was honestly glad to see Rei. He was the person I trusted most of the Bladebreackers, my former team. Well, to tell the truth, the person I trusted most of all the people I know. I don't even know why… it's just…it… On the other hand, I felt that insecurity inside me. What kind of feelings are those? I hate it to feel vulnerable and that was exactly what happened when I met Rei today. I had the feeling that he could see inside me, behind my protective wall… I felt so weak, and though, it was ok… Unbelievable how one person turned my whole life upside down in a second.

I looked at him now and met his gaze. He looked tired and troubled.

"We should leave. It's already 3am. What do you two think?" I asked, without taking my eyes of Rei.

"Sounds good," he responded wearily and Tala, too, agreed after some seconds. So we took our stuff and went to the exit.

"I'll be there in a minute. I need to go to the bathroom." Rei said and went in the opposite direction, leaving Tala and me alone.

The red haired turned to me.

"Finally, I thought that I would never get a chance to talk to you alone."

I glanced at him suspiciously. "You talked to me for almost two hours. Wasn't that enough?"

"No," was his firm response.

"Hn. What do you want?"

"Not so hostile, please. I'm your friend, remember?"

"Exactly that troubles me."

"Thanks for the flowers." He grinned. "So…"

"So what?" I asked impatiently.

Smiling even broader, he asked "So, what was that with you and the little one today?"

I stared at him. "I don't know what that would have to do with you."

"Easy, if you don't want to talk about it"

"No, I don't!"

"You don't need to interrupt me that rude."

"I do what I want."

"Yeah, as usual."

"Hn."

"So, you like him, huh?"

That was way too much! "Shut up!" I whispered with a deadly tone in my voice. Unfortunately Tala was used to it and, contrary to 99 percent of the people around me, not scared of - yet.

"Your bark is worse than your bite." [That stupid grin again.] "At least you confirmed my guess, phoenix." That he used my secret nickname didn't calm me down today. I was about to 'bite' when Rei walked around the corner. I stopped mid-action, what earned me another of Tala's amused looks. I turned away from the red-haired man and looked at Rei, nodding in direction of the door. He looked a bit confused because of the sudden tension between Tala and me, but didn't ask for the reason. He just said "Let's go" and we left in direction of the dormitory.

When we arrived there I left with the excuse that I had to do something very important and hurried in direction of the library.

* * *

When we entered the flat I went directly into my room and changed into my sportswear. "I'm going to run a bit. See you in an hour." I informed the slightly confused Tala while passing (he sat on the sofa and read a book) and vanished through the door a moment later. When the cold air filled my lungs, I felt much better right away and with every powerful step I did, my thoughts settled down a bit more.

* * *

Puh, I'm done. ^^ OMG, what a long chapter. I can't believe that I wrote all that stuff. ;) Hope you enjoyed reading it and thanks a lot for the interest in the story. For those who are interested in how it goes on: the next chapter is going to be about a certain party..um..so…

I would love to get some feedback, means reviews^^, as I would like to improve my style of writing and of course my story and its future chapters. So please tell me what you like or dislike, when it gets too boring/long/much into detail or whatever you can think about. I'm open to every kind of fair, constructive critic and I DON'T bite reviewers. [Well, now that I come to think of it… ;-)]

Best wishes,

Moony


	5. Chapter IV

**Sleepless Nights**

Since that day almost three months had passed. "Real" university life had started and fortunately there wasn't much time left for me to think about Kai. We mainly met at the lectures and sometimes went for lunch together, but on the whole none of us had much free time left. The professors always give us a whole bunch of additional work, so I have spent the majority of the last weeks' evenings learning. Tala was very busy, too. Firstly, he had to work on some university projects, e.g. develop a business plan for a fictive sports company, and secondly –guess what- he spend every possible second with his boyfriend Bryan, which, as Tal's and I's rooms are right next to each other, bestowed _me_ some sleepless nights, too. [Duh… but actually I can't really be mad at those lovely, though sex-crazed idiots… they are an adorable couple.]

On the whole, I am really happy right now. [Not counting the lack of sleep.] I got to know a lot of great new people. We meet occasionally to e.g. watch DVDs together or go to the cinema. In addition to the new friendships the older ones are developing very well. So far, I have been able to hide my feelings for Kai and we get along surprisingly well with each other, not to say better than ever before. I even had some conversations with him, which deserved to be named so and not the usual Kai-never-says-a-word-and-just-hns thing.

Another event I'm looking forward to are the Christmas holidays which are about to start. Yay! Just one more day left. I am really excited because I will spend the next three weeks in the Sudeten Mountains. Tala and Bryan invited me to join them on their ski trip and I gratefully accepted their offer, as we do not need to pay for the accommodation (we are allowed to stay at the house of Tal's uncle while he is traveling around in Argentina from December till January) and after both of them reassured that we would have –for the sake of both parties- separate rooms in different parts of the house.

These pleasurable thoughts in mind, I grinned and let myself sink even deeper into the sofa's cosiness.

[Mmh…what a relaxed day…]

...

...

"REI!"

...

Trap, TRap, TRAp, TRAP, TRAP

...

THUMP!

...

"Urgh..."

Before I had the chance to react, Tala had thrown himself onto the couch. AND me! I felt how all air was pressed out of my lungs and I desperately gasped for breath, when his weight on my belly was slightly lifted some horrible long seconds later.

"You freakin idiot! What the hell do you think you are doing?" I barely managed to shout, still hyperventilating.

Then I recognized another familiar face looking down at me apologetically. Bryan's grin was slightly uneasy. He seemed to be as surprised as me about Tala's ambush and murmured "Sorry for that. I couldn't stop him", while scratching the back of his head.

Tala grinned even broader due to his boyfriend's sweet reaction. He shot another amused glance at me and then finally stood up, giving me space to get up as well.

"I could have scarcely known that I'm _that_ breathtaking."

"You!" I started, but was interrupted immediately by the delinquent.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm really sorry! - Come on now and let's sit down. We (he shot an important glance at the man next to him) need to talk to you."

I wondered a second about that weird look at their faces, but then asked "About what?"

"The party tomorrow."

"Party?" I frowned and looked at him, puzzled.

Tala turned to Bryan now, saying with a superior smile "See. I told you he would have forgotten about it by now."

The lavender-haired man just kind of looked annoyed and nodded.

[What the hell were the two of them plotting?]

"Would you mind being so kind and finally tell me what's going on?"

A millisecond later I looked into a pair of very serious, ice-blue eyes, which were just millimeters away from mine.

"Tomorrow is the MBS Christmas Ball." Tala responded in an elated tone.

I, contrarily, didn't quite get the point.

"…So?"

"So? SO? Dude, that's the best party of the whole year. And we are all going to be there."

[Think Rei, think…]

"Wh…What exactly do you mean by 'we'?" I asked hesitantly, earning me a totally flabbergasted expression from Tala, who shot a desperate pleading look at Bryan. He in return just sighed and then focused me.

"What Tal tries to say is…"

"Yes?"

"…well, uhm, he hopes that you will come to the party with us."

My inside turned upside down. ME? At a party? Dancing? Together with _that_ couple?

"NO WAY!"

"Oh, come on Rei. The people there are not going to bite you. It'll be fun." Tala joined in the conversation again.

"No!"

"Why not…?" he asked innocently.

"I told you often enough." (Well, I mainly hated to go to parties because I always get chatted up by numerous guys who mistake me for a girl. Not that I have a problem with the guys – I mean, I'm gay – but it sucks when they think that I'm a girl and loose any interest as soon as they find out about my gender.) "And I also don't want to play the fifths wheel. Well, in your case the third I guess."

Tala sighed heavily. "Hell, you are even harder to convince than Kai."

[Kai?]

I abruptly focused the redhead again.

A mischievous grin ran over his face. He turned around to Bryan and walked in direction of the door. Before he left, he looked back at me over his shoulder.

"He's going to be there, by the way."

I stared at him. Frozen.

"I'm counting on you, kitten. I admit no contradiction! You got that? And I promise that the two of us will behave." He winked at me and then left with Bryan, leaving me behind even more puzzled than at the beginning.

"See ya, Rei."

* * *

_The next evening…_

* * *

[What the hell am I doing here?] I kept asking myself this question over and over again since Tala dragged me out of my room. I felt uncomfortable and my nerves were wound up to a high pitch. I was extremely tense and tired, as I had spent the last night thinking about today and Tala's words.

Bryan noticed my state of mind and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, trying to comfort me.

"Hey, it's going to be fine. Calm down. It'll be fun."

His nice smile encouraged me a bit and I slowly started to relax and looked around in the large dancing hall. It was wonderfully decorated in elegant silver and white, combined with some magnificent crystal sculptures, fir sprigs and the full green of pine trees and mistletoes. The atmosphere was solemn.

Tala left us alone to get us some drinks and when he returned after while, the dance floor had already filled with loose groups of people. I took the glass from him and nipped a bit of the liquid. It was a little bitter, but nonetheless very tasty and spread pleasant warmth in my body.

I felt Tala's expectant view and therefore looked up, and smiled.

"It's good. Thank you, Tal!"

Happily he responded, "You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. It's Gin Tonic. But come on and let's dance a bit now."

And before I could decline he took my hand and led me to the middle of the room, where he started to move smoothly to the music. Bryan followed us and smiled when he approached us. Amused, he said "You couldn't even wait until we finished our drinks, he?" but he only got a light kiss on his cheek as a response.

I chuckled due to the lovers little game.

"Bry, look at our little kitten. He wants love, too." And a second later I felt their lips on my cheeks, one left, and one right. I blushed at the touch, but didn't bother it. It was cute how they tried to divert my attention, and actually I really felt much better by now than at the beginning. So I looked at them and ask playfully "Didn't you want to dance?" earning relieved smiles and approving "Yeahs".

Some fooling around and drinks later, my self confidence had recovered enough to let me enjoy the party. I spent most of the time with Tala and Bryan, but I also met a group of people from my business classes, who invited me for a drink. I had a lot of fun.

It was around one o'clock when Bryan and Tala asked me, if it would be ok for me, if they left. I was hanging around with some other friends at this time and I could also imagine what they would like to do now after they had danced so passionately, so I said it would be fine with me and wished them a good night.

"You bet!" was their synchron answer. I laughed.

"Have fun yourself," said Bryan, "and call us if you get in any trouble, alright."

"I'm with my friends so I'll be fine, Bry. Thanks guys, I mean, for dragging me here. I owe you. It was - is – a great party."

"You're welcome. Ok, so we are off then. Bye Rei."

"Bye."

After they left I had one or two more drinks with my fellow students and we also danced to some great songs. I really liked the electronic music; it had the feeling that it stimulated my whole body and mind. After a while it became very hot inside, so I decided to refresh myself and headed to the bathroom, which is in a separate corridor of the building. Finally there, I spattered cold water on my face and neck. It felt good on my heated skin. When I looked in the mirror, I saw a very weird image of myself. My cheeks were flushed, my hair tousled and my breath accelerated from dancing, and my eyes pupils were widened because of the alcohol. I kind of looked like… Woohooo…No way! I should stop thinking!

On my way back to the dance hall I felt like my head was spinning. The alcohol started to reveal its full effect. I was almost out of the corridor, when somebody grabbed my arm and pressed me against the wall. I felt breath next to my ear.

"Interested in a hot private dance, girly?" The heavy, slimy voice of that guy made me thick. And when he started to caress my arse his time was over.

"I refuse." And before he could make another move, I send him to kiss the floor with a well-directed kick in his stomach. Years over years of martial arts training would not be erased by some alcohol; my instincts were almost as good as usual. Disgusted, I stared at the winding body.

"You'll be sorry for that, bitch!" He slowly got up and started to furiously walk in my direction, but stopped a second later because somebody had violently gripped his head and arm. Then I heard _his_ ice-cold, alarmingly controlled voice.

"I - don't - think so."

A second later that idiot was knocked out and I stared into Kai's bright, fiery red eyes.

"You ok?" he asked in a softer voice.

"Yes, thanks. Nice punch, he will need some time to recover."

Kai smirked. "Your kick wasn't bad either. I am surprised that he was able to stand up again."

I smiled. "Guess martial arts training had something good about it." Being a bit embarrassed and also annoyed because Kai helped me, I focused him and said "I would have been able to deal with that bastard on my own. You didn't have to help me. After all I'm not a girl."

Waiting for his reaction I noticed a slight change of his facial expression which I couldn't really match with any emotion. Was he angry?

A second later clear laughter, as insubstantial and thrilling as the phoenix' song filled the air. Hypnotized, I stared at the dove-haired man in front of me. He stepped closer, and I automatically stepped back, just to be immediately stopped by the wall behind me. I nervously watched how he put his right hand next to my head and leaned in closer. I couldn't help but gaze into his mesmerizing eyes, which had darkened into a rich red. Surprised, I realized the tension and excitement in his view, although he seemed so perfectly calm and controlled on the outside. When his breath grazed my cheeks I blushed madly and broke our eye contact, finally becoming aware of the fact that his face was less than an arm length away from mine. I shuddered when his slender fingers hooked under my chin, forcing me gently but firmly to look up again. I was unable to resist him.

His voice made me focus again. It was a little husky, but still felt like velvet touching my sins.

"Don't pout. I know that - I simply _wanted_ to help you." He smiled – uneasy! – and hesitated for a moment, but then continued to speak. "Rei…would you like to dance with me?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected question and with my mind totally gone blank, I barely managed to stammer a response.

"Ye…yes".

Was this real or just a sweat dream?

"Hn."

[That disapproving sound again. I really was stupid. Of course he would not really want to dance with me. Was he just playing with me?]

"Rei. Rei! Look at me." His words interrupted my thoughts. "Rei" The gently spoken word kept ringing in my ears – by now, Kai's voice was irresistible smooth and sweet, like liquidized chocolate. I focused on the dual-haired man again, who reduced the distance between us even more and made me blush deeper than ever. His piercing red eyes were more serious than before. "Don't ponder over nonsense, baka!"

I flinched a bit at the familiar Japanese word. He had always used it when we had trained together and I had made a mistake, though never really angry, but more thoughtful and caring, if that was possible considering who I was thinking about. Baka, huh? So many memories were chained to this word.

"Hey, Rei. Stop spacing out. Come on, let's go." And with these words he grabbed my hand and led me back into the dance hall.

* * *

OMG… it took me ages to pick up this story again. Somewhere midway I completely lost my inspiration. But now I'm trying to find my way back in. I'm not sure yet, were exactly I'm heading with "Student Life". We'll see. Btw, is there still somebody out who is interested in the story, anyway? Let me know, if so. ;) This might give me an additional boost to continue.

Bye, Moony


	6. Chapter V

Hey,

I'm back with a new chapter. It's rather short this time, but I'm slowly starting to get on with the H-stuff, though no explicit scenes will be described in this part. Hope you'll still like it.

Read and enjoy! ;-)

* * *

**Sleepless Nights 2**

I shrieked up in the middle of the night, just to find myself lying in a bed with red, silken sheets in an absolutely unknown room. My head was aching like hell. Totally confused, I tried to remember what happened last night. A movement next to me diverted my attention for a second, and then reality struck me like ice water. Lying beside me, naked, and sleeping soundly, was Kai. His hair tousled, falling openly and charming his facial contours, creamy skin shimmering in the moonlight, his lower body barely covered by the thin sheets, leaving little for suggestion. I felt blood rushing through my body. Becoming self conscious now, I finally realized that I didn't have any clothes on either.

[What the…?]

"Uh…"

Dizzy images of last night started flashing before my eyes. I pinned down by Kai, demanding kissing, undressing… sweet pleasure, his soft moaning, body heat, ecstasy… "Ah…" I immediately felt my body heating up, especially down there. Blushing deeply, I desperately tried to grasp a clear thought and find a way out of this disaster.

[Just what had I done? How could I ever face Kai again? What the hell had I been thinking? How could this even happen? Kai? Kai! Kaaaaiiiiii…]

I just wanted to flee, get away, forget what happened, wishing it had never happened… wishing I could see Kai as a friend again, like I did a long time ago… whishing that I didn't destroy everything with my stupidity… Seeing only one chance, I jumped up to pick up my clothes and leave, but immediately fell down when my legs were giving in.

"Urgh… Shit!"

The throbbing pain in my back made me even more desperate to leave...

[This just could NOT be real. Shit! SHIT!]

"Shit!" I breathed.

I felt tears welling up and all strength leaving my limbs. I don't know how long I sat there, sobbing slightly.

In the end, I somehow managed to put my clothes back on and collect the rest of my stuff. After making my way to the front door I turned around one last time, suppressing the yearning in my chest and fighting back the tears. I felt so shitty, vulnerable and was pissed by my own cowardice.

I quickly opened the door and stumbled home.

* * *

_**FLASH!**_

The Christmas Ball…

Drinking…

Passionate Dancing…

Tender Skin…

Soft Hair…

Sweet Scent…

Lips touching…

Moaning and yearning for more… "Mhh…"

Hips grinding…"Ah…"

Kisses all over…

Touching each other…

Thrusting into him... "Ahh…"

Mind-taking hotness… "Ngh…"

Nails clawing into my back, teeth biting my shoulder…

Pain and Pleasure…

Climax… "AHhhh!"

...

"REI!"

...

I was pulled out of my sleep. My breathing accelerated, feeling hot, a treasonable feeling in my groin. It took me a second to come to my senses.

[What the hell had happened last night?]

I looked around my room, blinded by the sun and with a terrible headache.

[Since when did alcohol have such an effect on me?]

It was just a little later that I realized the mess in the room. My clothes were spread all over the floor. Various drawers of my closet were open, clothes and other stuff partly hanging out. Worst was the bed… the sheets were completely messed up and had some very unmistakable stains on them; a tube of lube was lying at the bottom end, opened, and with a little liquid leaking out. Used condoms were spread on the floor. After running a look down my body no doubts where left.

[How the fucking hell could this has happened? And with wh…?]

Sudden realization hit me…

"Kuso!"(_1)_

[Kuso, kuso, kuso! Never could I….]

...

...

[How could I have had sex with Rei? That's absolutely impossible! No way! Rei is…]

_**Flash!**_

Feisty, sexy, lustful, luscious, hot, affectionate, beautiful…

Hotness was spreading wider into my loins.

"Chikushou!" _(2)_

I rammed my fist into the wall, fighting with the little remaining part of my self control. My mind was blank.

[Was this for real? How could I have lost control of the situation like this? And where was Rei? Where had he gone?]

"KUSO!"

...

[Just what had I done to him?]

* * *

_(1)_ Japanese: „Shit" (written in Romaji)

_(2)_ Japanese: „Damm it, darn it, crap" (written in Romaji)

* * *

That's it for the moment. So, how do you think Rei and Kai will deal with the situation? Will their friends find out? What's going to happen, when Rei leaves to his holidays tomorrow?

Lots of questions for the upcoming chapters. ^^ So, stay tuned ;)

Moony


	7. Chapter VI

Ok, here we go again. I got kinda stuck because of some uni-stuff and work-related issues, so the upload took a little time. Sorry for that!

Then thanks a lot to rawrrxixeatxyou, GabZ, PancaekPirate and Pixxy_Dust for your reviews. I appreciate your input a lot. Thank you!

PancaekPirate and : Thanks for the advice about the switching POVs. I'll try to avoid too many changes from now on, to improve the comprehension of the text and make it easier to follow.

About this chapter: Sorry for the stupid title…and the weird content. It somewhat feels and reads like I, too, wrote this after a night long of partying. (°-°) Well, judge for yourself. Hope you'll still find it ok.

* * *

**After Eight (a.m.)**

The ringing of the doorbell snapped my out of my thoughts – the shrill sound made my head feel like it was in place of the metal body being hit by the clapper.

"Uhhh."

[Who the hell was disturbing me this early in the morning?]

A look at my alarm clock confirmed that it was barely 8 o'clock.

Ignoring the nasty noise and refocusing on my torn apart bedroom, I fell back onto the mattress and tried to put my thoughts back in line. Unfortunately, the intruder did not give up yet and switched from pressing the bell push to pounding on the wooden door. Seriously getting annoyed I screamed "Shut the fuck up!"

The pounding stopped and I was about to let me fall back into the sheets, when I heard someone scream my name.

"Kai! Kai! The hell… open up. Hey, bakajarou_(1)_! Open up! I've taken the long way to visit you and you ignore me. Asshole. Same bastard as usual. Open up!"

Oh, damn it. I knew only one person who would behave this impossibly inconsiderate in public. Seeing that I had no other chance left, I got up, put on some boxers, and made my way to the door. Meanwhile, the swearing continued. Royally pissed, I opened the door. The swearing stopped. Standing right in front of me was a certain idiot with blue-haired ponytail, moon-like face and baseball cap. He was positioned about a meter away from the door, which made me guess that he had been wandering in circles just a second ago. His angry impression immediately switched into a wide grin when he saw me.

"Kai. Finally! For a moment I thought I got the wrong door…"

He smiled apologetically. I was still standing on the spot, not moving.

"Hey, uhm, don't you wanna let your guest in?" He asked.

I just send a cold glare and didn't move an inch. It took him a second to realize that I was absolutely in no mood to let him in… So he started to burst out in his theatrical tirade again:

"Teme_(2)_! I told you ages ago that I would come visit you this semester holidays. How can you forget your good old friend? Baka, Baka, Bakajarou. Oh come on Kai, LET ME IN… pleaaaaase? - TEME!"

I was about to close the door when some of my neighbors started to peek out, not really pleased by the noise in the morning. Understanding their pain and knowing that, if I left him standing outside, the swearing and screaming could easily reach the decibel number of a starting jumbo jet, I stepped out of the half opened door, grabbed him at the neck of his sweater and pulled him into my flat, throwing the door shut behind us. He instantly stopped screaming and put on his victorious goofy smile, whereas I had to restrain myself from strangling him and restricted myself to forcefully pushing him onto the sofa.

Somewhat defeated, I focused his vivid brown eyes and sourly said "Tyson!"

* * *

It's been only a little while since a have climbed into my bed; totally exhausted and still feeling like shit. Besides the goddamn headache, my body probably wouldn't let me forget this incident anytime soon – in more than one way. For now I was only glad to be back in my room. My thoughts were still running a mental marathon and it took ages to calm down. When I finally relaxed, I drifted into a restless, dream-filled sleep.

...

...

The next morning, I was woken up by an enthusiastic Tala, who was in an almost disgustingly good mood and smiled from one ear to the other. After only one or two hours of sleep I still wasn't really fit, but at least I had gotten over yesterday's teary mood. And fortunately I was also too tired to think too much about certain… things. The redhead and his boyfriend were bussing around like honey bees, treating me with some breakfast (which I barely touched) and synchronically talking to me about who knows what. Somewhere in between my slump I snatched up some words that like packing, party, holidays… Though they didn't seem to make much sense…

"..ei"

"..Ei"

"Rei!"

I shrieked up. Looking - extremely puzzled - into a pair of ice-blue orbs. Tala sighed.

"Geez. What's up with you? I've asked if you are already done packing."

Now I must have looked even dumber, since Tala just shook his head in non-believe.

"…the hell," he mumbled. "What did you do last night?"

For a second I went stiff, earning me curious looks from the two Russians, but I immediately caught myself. They absolutely mustn't know about Kai. So I forced out a faint smile and mumbled "Nothin'. Just tired."

Bryan and Tala exchanged a look and apparently decided in silent unison not to pressure the issue. Instead, Tala repeated his question for the third time.

"Are you done packing?"

It took me a second, but then I finally remembered. Right, we wanted to go on holidays in the mountains. An excusing smile sneaked into my face.

"Oh, alright. I get it." Tala said, smiling again. "In that case I'll help you."

And before I could stop him, he had already vanished in my room, where I heard him opening my closet doors and, after a while, the wild rustling of clothes. Too tired to protest I only sat there in silence, sipping the coffee Bryan had prepared to wake me up and sharing some meaningful looks with the lavender haired man.

After about fifteen minutes Tala entered the living room again, carrying my now strained backpack and a victorious grin on his lips.

"All done." He stated satisfied. "Now we only need to get _you_ 'packed'. We have to be at the airport in about an hour."

After taking up the fight to bring myself into a relatively presentable mood, shape and clothing, which partly succeeded after two pots of dark coffee and fifteen minutes in the bathroom, we were on our way to get the plain. I was still feeling like in a daze, but at the same time some excitement snug up in me. I was going on holidays after all; and getting away from the person I wouldn't want to face for nothing in the world for some time. At some point I still hoped that everything was just a bad dream, but… A sigh slipped out of my mouth. Tala was so thrilled and hyper that he didn't realize at all. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bryan looking at me with a worried expression. I mimed to not notice and just waited for the taxi ride to be over. At the airport we could pretty quickly get through the controls and got on the plain, which was scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. to our destination Prague. When we departed Tala was bouncing up and down in front of the window in excitement, Bryan calmly tried to get him to sit silently as not to disturb the other passengers, and I was almost back to my nervous sleep.

* * *

[These holidays are definitely going to be different than any others before.]

* * *

_(1)_ Japanese: Basically means "Idiot, Jerk"

_(2)_ Japanese: very rude and impolite form of addressing somebody, like angry "YOU!"

* * *

So, how did you like it? Not one of my bests, at least in my opinion… ^^" The next chapters are almost done, so hopefully I'll be able to upload more regularly in the next weeks. I want to be done with Student Life at latest by Christmas. (Let's see if this works out.^^) On the whole, there will be around 4 more chapters.

Thanks for your patience, Moony


	8. Chapter VII

Hi everyone! It's St. Nicholas' Day and I've got a little present for you.

1) A new chapter!

2) This time the story is for the first time narrated from Bryan's point of view.

I hope you'll like it. I enjoy to experiment with the different character's POVs, which can be difficult because one has to convey their feelings, ways of thinking etc., which can vary tremendously depending on the person. As I said, I'm still experimenting and try to find my own take on each character/ narrator, to make them as convincing as possible. Be so kind and forgive me, when it doesn't work out a 100% every time. ;) But enough of this nonsense for now! Here comes the story. Enjoy!

* * *

**Friends and Trust **

"Hey, Tal!"

"Hwmm? Wha'ishit?"

Huh. I sighed, my lips forming into a little smile. He noticed, and smiled back; not embarrassed by his puffed up cheeks, which were strained because he had devoured a huge bite of fresh baked waffles with hot cherries and clotted cream just some seconds ago and was chewing happily.

We were currently sitting in a small town's café in the Sudeten Mountains, after we had taken an afternoon walk through the festively decorated streets and snow-covered scenery. It was Thursday, one day before Christmas Eve, and the whole town and surroundings felt so solemn. The three of us had arrived here last Saturday in the late afternoon. Since then we had spent a lot of time relaxing and also exploring the ski trails, which were weaving through the mountains. Rei had often tried to spent some time alone... or leave _us_ alone [?]; he went hiking in the wintry mountains or drew back in the evening to read in his room, sitting on the windowsill. Today, too, he refused our offer to accompany us into town, since he had spent the morning with outdoor activities and said that he was tired.

"Hummmhhh."

The sound made me focus on my boyfriend again. He had taken another generous bite of his waffle, though the sweet's dimension clearly exceeded his mouth's. Thus, some rests of the sweet topping were lingering on the corners of his mouth. I leaned forward, planting a kiss on his delicious skin and licking of the treat. His before joyfully half-lidded eyes snapped open in an instant. I saw a little pout sneaking upon his face and had to fight back my laughter. Puppy-like eyes fixed mine accusingly; he swallowed to free his mouth and then simply said,

"Mine!"

Once again I struggled not to laugh out loud. Instead, I kept as serious as possible; I stretched out my left hand to cup his cheek and chin, and closed the distance between us to kiss him gently. A second I felt him oppose, but then he, too, leaned in and deepened the kiss. After some seconds I drew back, nipping on his lower lip with my teeth and pulling it with me. I saw disappointment sneak into Tala's face, when we at last lost contact. I tucked up his chin a little, focused on his eyes and locked his look. With an earnest face, this time my own voice rumbled deeply,

"Mine!"

After a second, we both broke out into laughter. I saw Tala flush faintly under his marble white skin. It was always a sight for sore eyes to see him like this. Even more pleasurable was the gestured that followed. He wrapped his arms around my neck and shoulders and drew me closer, and I felt my insides warming up when he barely whispered into my ear,

"Luv' ye..."

"Я тоже люблю тебя!" (1)

Pleased, Tala loosened our connection and then asked with a gentle smile.

"What was it that you wanted earlier?"

A rather hard "hm" escaped my lips. I saw how Tala barely rose an eyebrow. With a sharp undertone he now demanded,

"Spill it, Bryan!"

I frowned, seeing how his face was back to the hard, almost emotionless expression he wore for almost all of his lifetime and which now mainly appeared when he was concerned or very concentrated, creating a dangerous and chilly feeling of a predator with its eyes fixed on its prey around him.

"I'm concerned about Rei."

Tala's eyes narrowed, then he asked,

"Why? He's as usual – nice... calm."

"Right. But that's exactly it! Don't you think he's a bit too calm and composed? The Rei I know would participate in jokes, snowball fights and such. He would spend the whole evening in front of the TV with you and me, regardless of us making out, and talk and eat some snacks. He would have accompanied us tonight, and not stayed at home because he was _tired_!"

The last word turned into a little snarl.

Tala's eyes widened a little. Reading his mimic, I stated

"You didn't notice that he was avoiding us."

"No." came the thoughtful response, as if his tongue was weighing the word's meaning and significance. "Rei didn't behave that much differently when we actually were together and I was so..."

"...focused on me." I completed for him.

He looked up with an embarrassed smile.

"Yeah. ...that I didn't pay much attention to anything or anybody else than you..."

"He! You sure are easy to distract." I teased, but he denied by shaking his head.

"I ain't!" Our eyes locked.

"O.K.!" Tala broke away. "Back to topic! What do you think is up with Rei?"

"Hm. Since everything was fine before..."

"Speak up, man!" Tala started fidgeting on his chair.

"...my suggestion would be that something happened at the Christmas Ball, which, in the worst case, also includes Kai."

I could practically feel Tala's brain working, electric impulses flowing, when he let his head sink some millimeters, so that a shadow fell over his eyes. When he looked at me again, ice blue eyes were filled with realization and determination.

"I'm going to kill Kai when he has hurt our kitten!"

"Easy, wolf!" I interjected.

"No! How could we have been that blind! Ok, I!" he alternated. "Kai was completely out of it ever since Rei arrived. But I would have never guessed that he was seriously..."

"Now now. Let's not jump to rash conclusions. It's just a guess on my side, since I couldn't find another plausible explanation. I suggest we try talking to Rei first?"

"Argh..." Tala burst out, but then immediately caught his temper and continued in a calm and deep voice. "You are right. Let's head home!"

I nodded approval and in silent unison we waved for the waiter of the cozy café, a young and handsome boy who couldn't be older than sixteen, to pay our bill. When he approached, I noticed his curious, if not cautious, look on us. It was just then when it stroke me, that people here (a mountain town with some eight thousand inhabitants) probably weren't really used to gay couples, let alone to see two men openly kissing at one of the shop's corner tables. I frowned. A side glance at my boyfriend showed me that he has had the same train of thought. A saw a dangerous gleaming in his eyes that made want to leave this instant. Surprisingly, once the boy handed over the bill and waited for the money, it vanished and I had almost cleared all my suspicions. We were already up, had grabbed our winter jackets and the waiter had turned to leave, when Tala reached out to grab the guy's hand. A way too nice and mild smile playing on his lips, he said in his sweetest, silken voice,

"Don't worry. Being gay isn't contagious..." and, adding a slight ecchi tone, "Though I wouldn't mind 'infecting' a cutie like you."

The teen blushed madly, than looked somewhat bewildered from Tala to me and back. I grabbed Tala by the shoulders, turned him around to face the door and make him let go of our waiter's hand, mouthing a "sorry" in his very direction, and pushed my boyfriend out of the exit. As soon as we stood on the street, he broke out into laughter, almost falling over due to building up laughing fit and looking for hold on my neck and shoulders. Between gasps, he repeated over and over,

"His face... Hahahahaha... his face..."

I couldn't completely contain a smile, but still expressed my concern.

"You shouldn't have done that, wolfy."

He looked up, restraining the laughter a second and putting up a more serious expression.

"I know. But... HAHAHahaha... it was worth it."

With a touch of melancholy and longing mixing into his speech he added,

"I only pity the fact that we are unlikely to return here to get some more of the waffles."

"Pfft," I uttered in disbelieve, "you are impossible!"

"I know."

[Ah dear, that dazzling smile.]

"So do I! Well, what's done is done. Let's get going now, 'kay? Before you mentally scar somebody else."

"Hm." he reacted amused. "Okay. Talking to Rei has top priority either way."

So said we made our way back to south end of the city by bus and then walked the last fifteen minutes up the little path that lead into the mountain range and to the house where we were staying for the holidays. The sun was already set pretty close to the horizon. It wouldn't take more than half an hour before the natural light would be gone for today.

* * *

I was sitting on the windowsill on the west side of the house. I had just put aside the book I was reading at that time (Eragon book 3, since I addicted to good fantasy stories) and was watching the sun, which was hanging deep over the trees and had already half vanished behind them. The scenery looked so peaceful. I felt my heart warm up on the inside, and the pleasurable feeling spreading through my body.

It was the first time for the past days that I found myself so relaxed. Before, whenever I did not frantically concentrate on a specific task, memories of the Christmas ball night would immediately be rushing through my mind without me being able to stop it. But finally, I've partly come to terms with what happened. I still don't know if Kai will forget that we had sex, or if we'll be able to stay friends. I, for my part, decided not to be sorry about what we did: We were both drunk and it was late at night, I had longed for him I don't know how long, and - although this might not have been the best turn of events - I had gotten my chance to be close to him, closer than I ever imagined possible. It still hurt a little thinking that this night didn't mean anything, but that's what you get for a one-night stand.

I was grateful that we had gone on this holiday trip, since it had left me with the necessary room and time to think things through. I don't know what I would have done, if we had stayed in Moscow and I would have had to face Kai directly afterwards.

"Hummm."

A peaceful humming build up in my throat and floated over my lips. I looked at the clock, that was hanging on the other side of the room, which showed me that it was just some minutes past four o'clock. Feeling my stomach grumble a little, I decided that it was time for some Christmas cookies and a big cup of hot cocoa. My mood lightened up even more with this prospect in mind.

I wondered when Tala and Bryan would be back. They had left after lunch to discover the small town that lay at the foot of the mountain. I stayed here, being a little tired from skiing in the morning and also wanting some time for myself - secluding myself a bit had helped me a lot to come to terms with myself and _that_.

I had just settled down on the cozy sofa in front of the fireplace and taken the first sip of my hot cocoa, when I heard steps on the front door, the ringing of keys being pulled out of a bag and put into the keyhole and then the door spring open and my friends entering the hall. In between the rustling of clothes, Tala shouted,

"We are back!"

Smiling, I turned a little on the sofa as to face the man's direction, and answered,

"Welcome home!"

Tala's face popped up on the corner, his eyes lighted up when he saw me sitting where I was.

"Did you have a nice trip?" I asked.

He nodded affirmatively, and then entered the kitchen, followed by his lavender-haired boyfriend, who looked happy as well.

"Yeah. We stopped by a nice little café, which served amazing waffles." The two exchanged a meaningful look, which I couldn't decipher entirely. Tal laughed it of, then stepped closer to sit down next to me on the sofa.

"What about you?" came his question, "Did you continue reading your book?"

"Yes. I'm almost done. There are just about one hundred pages left."

"Nice! Say, did anything happen on the Christmas Ball between you and Kai?" The redhead's voice was nonchalant on the surface, but the underlying tone made me freeze on the spot.

".!" came Bryan angry interjection, "You are..." Then addressing me faintly, questioningly, "Rei...?"

"Impossible! I know. But there is only one way to ask such a question: directly! To beat around the bush wouldn't do any good!" he said, his voice heating up a little.

The he focused me again and said, "Sorry, Rei. But we are concerned about you. After the ball you were... different."

He took my hands into his, squeezing them slightly. I looked up into his blue eyes, then made eye contact with Bryan, whose concern was written all over his face. I wondered, whether I would be ok to talk about that night with them. My thoughts were rushing through my brain. Finally, I sighed out heavily, releasing my tension as well. I smiled wryly at my two friend, then responded somewhat defeated,

"I can't hide anything from you, huh?"

Now an apologetically smile sneaked up their faces, but both withstood my view. Bryan answered a little uneasy,

"Not really, I guess."

"Huhm." Another sigh slipped. Then I sat up straight, facing the couple. "Ok. I guess there is no chance hiding it."

Tala's face lightened up. Bryan waited patiently for me to continue.

I wrecked my mind, trying to find a point to start. After some seconds I started talking – slowly, hesitantly at first, but with the time more and more freely, glad that I could finally share my sorrows with somebody else and not had to store up all the emotional pressure inside me.

"You know... I... Kai... Uh, were shall I start?"

I saw them nod encouragingly.

"Well... Err, I guess it... it all roots in the time of our Beyblade tournaments. I... I kind of always admired Kai, despite his aloof demeanor, maybe because of it…"

I smiled faintly. Then let my head sink slightly again to watch my intertwined hands in my lap.

"Anyway, this admiration and watching from afar changed in preparation of the last World Championship we participated in… we started training together, were around each other every day, learned and failed together… Suddenly, we were on a completely different level of understanding and knowing each other, and I… I…"

As if asking for help, I looked up, and Bryan threw out the life belt.

"You fell for him, right?"

I nodded, with a somewhat sad smile.

"…yeah… I did. I suppressed the feeling, guessing that he would never allow this type of relationship, at least not with me. Once the championship and then the Justice5 tournament were over, we all split up in every possible direction. It all got easier when I didn't see him on daily basis anymore. By the time I studying came into reach, I was almost over him. I even had some relationships with other guys, though they never lasted long. Then, when I made my decision to study in Moscow, I didn't think that he would seriously show up at university, let alone the same I am on; though I can't deny hoping for exactly that to happen, somewhere deep inside myself. Then, when we met here…"

And so I continued talking. Telling Bryan and Tala everything, from my feelings during the past three month, the inner fights, the happiness, up to the Christmas Ball evening, Kai 'rescuing' me, dancing with him… I started stuttering again when it came to us leaving the ball together, ending up in his room… sleeping with each other. But my friends' understanding and patient behavior helped me to get over it. Somewhere in between, I started getting weepy again. That was when Bryan wrapped one strong arm around my shoulder and hold me tightly, a so reassuring gesture that it left only one tear drop running down my cheek before I regained control over my feelings again and continued talking.

When I finished, I felt surprisingly refreshed, as if a ton of weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Tala was agitated about Kai's behavior and 'dumbness' and it took me a while to calm him down, while assuring over and over that I was fine now and making him swear that he wouldn't talk to Kai. He still didn't look really happy in the end, but at least dropped his rants. Bryan was surprisingly rare of words, but what he said made me feel thankful, since it was supportive of my dealing with the situation and he didn't critic neither mine nor Kai's decisions for now.

In the end, we all realized that it was already past seven o'clock and that we were hungry. Grabbing some food from the kitchen, we then made ourselves at home in the living room, watching some random TV shows, and talking over this and that for hours. Today, I stayed up with them for the first evening since we arrived here. The mood was good, and we made plans for the upcoming holiday, Christmas Eve. At about one a.m. tiredness struck me and I excused myself for the night, leaving towards my bedroom on the second floor, and left _them_ cuddled up on the sofa. It didn't take more than a minute before I fell asleep this night.

* * *

_Meanwhile, down in the living room_

* * *

After Rei had gone to bed, Tala turned around in my arms so that we were lying face to face.

"They sure are blind!" he mumbled, "Both of them."

"Mh."

"You know, I think we really need to talk to Kai!" he waited for my denial, but continued when I kept silent. "I know that Rei asked us not to, but this case is special. They will never get around if we don't interfere. Rei's to shy, and Kai… Kai is an emotionless blockhead!"

"Haha." I laughed silently, "You know that that's not completely true. Kai also cares for Rei. He doesn't show it, because he's afraid to get hurt. He's no different than we used to be."

"Hm… used to be! … Still, that's no excuse!"

"No, but an explanation."

"Un! Will you help me? Helping them?"

"I guess I have no other choice…hm?"

He smiled gently. "No."

"Then so be it."

He leaned forward and gave me a sweet kiss.

"Thank you, Bryan." His beautiful eyes were conveying his gratefulness, and love.

I closed my arms tighter around his back and shoulders to draw him closer, and he followed the gesture and snuggled up against my chest. His hair was slowly losing its shape and fell down to the sides, his bangs were hanging over his eyes. I stretched out one hand, and tucked the loose strands behind his ear to get a better view on his relaxed face with closed eyelids.

[Yes, indeed. We used to be no different than Kai.]

It had taken years before we finally admitted our feelings, and learned to trust in the other. Love – Love had become my most valuable treasure and I wished for Kai to find it, too.

I kissed Tala on the forehead, earning a content humming from him.

I smiled. Yes, Kai _had_ to experience this, too. In the next days we would find an opportunity to lead him and Rei the right way… the next days…

* * *

In Moscow, a certain dual-haired man shrieked up from a nightmare, which had been tormenting him since one week and always circled around _the_ Chinese beyblader, his former team member, Rei. He got up to get himself a glass of water – but once he arrived in the kitchen, he changed his mind and turned towards one of the cupboards. After opening the door, he lifted up a vodka bottle, untwisted it, than led the bottle to his lips and took several gulps. The bottle still in his hand he turned around and went back to his bedroom. From the couch, Tyson watched his friend in absolute disbelieve and horror – what in the hell could Mr. Healthy Food and Fitness Freak make loose his composure that badly?

* * *

(1) [ja tósche ljubljú tibjá] – russian "I love you, too!"

* * *

Puh… that's it for this chapter. I hope you liked it. ^^ The next chapter will, as you might guess, explain the situation in Moscow, so to say from Kai's and Tyson's POV. Stay tuned!

Moony


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